(Goodbye) Prague Bucket List

What do you do if you only have a couple days left in a city?  Better yet, what do you do with your last eight hours in a city?  If you could only visit or eat one thing, where would you go?  Last week my husband and I packed up our cosy flat in Prague and moved to Copenhagen.

For an entire week, I debated what would I do on my last day in Prague. Would I hike up Petrin hill for one last glance at the castle?  Would I walk across Charles Bridge and wave goodbye to the statues? Would I venture to Staromeske Namesti (Old Town Square) to watch the Astronomical clock?  The answer is No.  I was done with the touristy side of the city.

My bucket list revolves around food (plus a Thai massage session at Som’s Thai).  Who are we kidding?

My Prague Bucket List:

1. Breakfast at Cafe Savoy– Vítězná 5, Praha 5 (Mala Strana) Cafe Savoy is a restaurant owned by the Ambiante group, which owns several other fine establishments in the city.  Housed in a restored Art Nouveau building, this restaurant is known around town for putting out a spectacular breakfast that is served on silver platters.  During my year and a half in Prague, I had yet to test out this rumoured “spectacular” breakfast, so I woke up early, before heading to work, and treated myself (and my husband) to breakfast at Cafe Savoy. I ordered the Continental breakfast that 2. Jasmine Tea at Mama Coffee .  Vodičkova 674/6, Prague 1 Tea and coffee comes served in Mama Coffee’s own adorable little porcelain tea pots, and cups (available for sale).  You don’t have to ask me twice to order their vegetarian mixed plate for lunch. It comes with hummus, a few salads, a second unidentifiable yet tasty dip and bread.  (Vegan options are also available). 3. A duck sandwich at Cafe Lounge Plaská 615/8, Prague 5 Mala Strana Nothing says satisfying lunch like an open faced duck sandwich on sourdough bread with stewed apples and onions.  Mmm mmm. Cafe Lounge has a great vibe, with its art deco interiors.  It’s non-smoking, serves filter coffee and offers options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Plus, lots of books and magazines to flip through if you are dining solo or waiting for your friends to arrive. 4. Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion sandwich at Muj Salek Kavy Křižíkova 105, Praha 8 (Karlin) Sadly, I don’t have a picture of this sandwich but I will do my best to describe its awesomeness.  Firstly the goat cheese is tangy and slightly warmed. It is wedged between two pieces of sunflower seed bread and topped with sweet caramelized onions and some lettuce.  It has crunch, it has creaminess, it has tang and sweet all rolled into one mouthful.  I will miss you sandwich.  You are up there on my all time top five sandwiches.  🙂 5. Pho Men from Bily Jerab Štefánikova 51, Praha 5 Mala Strana  Bily Jerab is a refreshing change if your palate is craving Japanese.  The tea house’s small, all vegetarian menu is a terrific complement to its extensive tea list.  This soup is by far, my favourite.   6. A Pilsner Urquel + a plate of meat from Kolkovna Vítězná 7, Praha 1, 110 00 This was not my meal, but my husband was obsessing over having his last Czech meal.  I did not even accompany him on this outing as the restaurant’s non-smoking section has as much smoke as the smoking section.  He enjoyed his plate-o-meat and beer solo.  Oh, Czech food.  My husband will miss you. 🙂

I am sure there are a few more places I could add to the list such as Red Hot Chili (Vietnamese in Karlin), Veltlin (wine bar), Kaaba Cafe’s cheese plate or salads but that is it for now.  Onward and upward to exploring my new city that I will learn to call home, Copenhagen.

The Find @ Designsupermarket

I checked out Designsupermarket which kick off in Prague earlier today.   It’s on all weekend until Sunday, so if you are in town, it might be worth it to stop by if this is your type of thing.

There was lots of unique and interesting lighting hanging around….

I really liked these lovely little owl pillows from Kuskus Decor.  They are for kids and come in all sorts of bright colours and patterns.  I bought a blue one with big white polka dots to take to Paris this weekend and give as a baby present.

I also saw a big display of  hanging planters.  I’ve seen a similar hanging plant design numerous times while travelling around various cities in Europe.  Are these the new rage in planters? They look kind of cool.

Of course, there was a quick stop by the cake table.  Real cake, not designer cake.

My favourite, the ceramic room that had about six or seven Czech ceramic designers showing off their wares.  I bought a little porcelain yogurt cup that says jablako which is “apple” in Czech. It can be used as a drinking cup or a planter if you put a hole through the glaze at the bottom.

Have you visited any craft or design markets lately?

Design Supermarket Prague

One of my favourite holiday season pass times is visiting craft fairs/markets.  In Toronto, I used to frequent the One-of-a-Kind Show (which just closed on December 2nd) with my family. I think it was an unofficial ritual.   If you are into acquiring unique pieces for the home, supporting small, independent designers, and putting up with crowds, these shows are great.

Last year I attended Design Supermarket, Prague’s annual holiday design/craft show which brings together an interesting mix of Czech, Slovak, German, Polish and Hungarian designers under one roof.   It was at Design Supermarket where I discovered the talented Czech illustrator, Antimultivitamin, whose work I purchased and framed (currently sitting on my floor waiting to be bubble wrapped and moved).

Since I have a slight obsession with glassware and porcelain, I look forward to checking out the work of:

De-sign.cz

Hidden Factory

Krikri

Tyformy

SVETLANAKOZHENOV

 Photo Sources: 1, 2-6

Rome in Photos

Despite my previous blog post listing my grievances with Rome from a tourist perspective, the city still contains some pretty spectacular architecture and streetscapes.

Do you have a favourite site/building in the city?

Gail’s Kitchen

I will be spending New Years in London with friends  and while I am in the city I hope to go check out Gail’s Kitchen.

Gail’s Kitchen is the new restaurant (November 21st) of Gail’s, a local London bakery that has been popping out beautiful breads and other baked goods since 2005 (there are numerous Gail’s bakery locations around the city).  Their restaurant will open next door to their bakery location in Bloomsbury.  I just love it when bakeries open restaurants.  You know the food is going to be good.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3, 4 

Gail’s Kitchen created a short little video (posted on Vimeo) that caught my attention showing guests what’s in store at the restaurant.  I can’t wait to have a meal there!!  I just hope they are open when I am in town. Last time I visited London, my trip fell over Christmas and a lot of places were closed (understandably!).

Has anyone been here yet?

Rome: Surprises and Disappointments

I am disappointed to report that Rome was not “all that.”  I spent a weekend in the city and left feeling tired, over-hassled, questioning how many times I was ripped off and scratching my head why the city’s reputation has not kept up with its current state: Dirty, touristy, run-down and crowded.  I expected in November, the crowds would temper from the summer.

This is one of the first trips that I can recall where I didn’t come back gushing over how much I enjoyed my time walking, eating and discovering the city.  I guess you can’t win them all.  Rome was still an experience and did find a handful of gems to share with you:

01- Lato G (gelato) where I tasted an incredibly intense and almost bitter dark chocolate gelato that was to die for.

Photo Source: Lato G

02 Casa & Bottega (two locations) a lovely cafe that serves a variety of food from yogurt and fruit, to charcuterie boards, salads, meatballs, pastas, hamburgers, and pastries!  The interior is cosy (tables are fairly close together) and rustic.  I visited both locations and loved their   chalkboard menus, all white on white furniture, weathered wood floors, black and white prints and displays of cookies and macarons.  What I LOVED- was the fact that when you order tea, it comes to the table with its own silver strainer (yes it is loose leaf) and they also give you two mini sugar heat cookies dusted with confectioners sugar.  Check and check in my books.

Photo Source: Romeing

03 Honourable mention goes to Restaurante Angelina in Testaccio which had great food and a funky, vintage, bistro decor (the service was so-so).  Its vaulted ceilings, white subway tiles, vintage furniture, industrial chairs and signs, and rustic Roman fare, gives the whole place a shabby chic and fun atmosphere. It was certainly lively on Saturday night.  We started at 9pm and didn’t leave until about 1am.  This restaurant was PACKED the entire night so it was a good thing we had a reservation.  There were large groups of locals continuously piling into both sides of the restaurant.

Photo Source: Restaurante Angelina

If you are planning a trip to Rome, below I’ve included the links to three bloggers who know their stuff when it comes to dining in Rome and were helpful to me in researching where to eat/dine in the city.

Even if you are not planning a trip, these blogs are worth a click as they contain beautiful, mouthwatering photography/Italian food ideas- and who doesn’t loooveeee Italian food?

1. Parla Food

2. Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

3. Living Roma

What are your thoughts on Rome? Have you visited the city? Were you overwhelmed by how touristy it was or did you enjoy it?